Welcome to Medical News Today

Healthline Media, Inc. would like to process and share personal data (e.g., mobile ad id) and data about your use of our site (e.g., content interests) with our third party partners (see a current list) using cookies and similar automatic collection tools in order to a) personalize content and/or offers on our site or other sites, b) communicate with you upon request, and/or c) for additional reasons upon notice and, when applicable, with your consent.

Healthline Media, Inc. is based in and operates this site from the United States. Any data you provide will be primarily stored and processed in the United States, pursuant to the laws of the United States, which may provide lesser privacy protections than European Economic Area countries.

By clicking “accept” below, you acknowledge and grant your consent for these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Please accept our privacy terms

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, personalize content and offers, show targeted ads, analyze traffic, and better understand you. We may share your information with third-party partners for marketing purposes. To learn more and make choices about data use, visit our Advertising Policy and Privacy Policy. By clicking “Accept and Continue” below, (1) you consent to these activities unless and until you withdraw your consent using our rights request form, and (2) you consent to allow your data to be transferred, processed, and stored in the United States.

Get the MNT newsletter

Email an article

You have chosen to share the following article:

How elderberries can help you fight the flu

To proceed, simply complete the form below, and a link to the article will be sent by email on your behalf.Note: Please don't include any URLs in your comments, as they will be removed upon submission.

We do not store details you enter into this form. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

Exploring spider venom's dual attack

Spider venom research has so far focused on a relatively narrow area. Now, a group of scientists in Switzerland has dug a little deeper to find out exactly how deadly it is.

Could the secrets of spider venom help design new drugs?

Animal venom has long been used in medicine. While the industry used to focus on snake venom, spiders are now under intense examination.

The two types work in very different ways; snake venom targets the cardiovascular system, while spider venom aims for the nervous system.

Understanding precisely how spider venom works could lead to effective treatment methods for the likes of epilepsy and stroke.

Scientists already know that arachnid venom causes a breakdown in the function of ion channels. These channels must be able to open and close at specific times in order to control muscles and other critical bodily processes.

When spider venom enters a body, it disrupts the usual ion channel flow, resulting in paralysis and sometimes death. Focusing on the relationship between these channels and venom could be the ticket to a revolutionary new treatment.

Research into spider venom has been ongoing for the past few decades, but much of it has revolved around the effects of neurotoxins. This has contributed to the development of successful insecticides, but drug-related uses are still being investigated.

Venom's double hit

Using spider venom to treat diseases of the human nervous system requires a deeper understanding of the venom's components. A new study from the University of Bern's Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE), in Switzerland, combines years of such research to prove just how complex the venom really is.

The venom of Cupiennius salei — more commonly known as the tiger wandering spider — is the study's prime focus. It is a relatively large spider with a leg span of around 10 centimeters and is usually found in Central America. When it catches prey, it does so by ambushing and releasing venom, rather than spinning a web.

In the study, published in Toxins, researchers looked at how the venom's various ingredients interact to paralyze prey. They call it the dual prey-inactivation strategy, so named for the two parts that make up the process.

One part is decidedly neurotoxic, and the other part aims to disturb stability within the body. "Both parts of the strategy interact very closely," explains lead study author Lucia Kuhn-Nentwig, Ph.D.

"The venom targets not only the muscles and the nervous system of the prey — the internal homeostasis, the physiological balance of an organism, is also disrupted by the blockade of ion channels and various metabolic pathways."

Lucia Kuhn-Nentwig, Ph.D.

In short, the neurotoxins target muscles and the nervous system, resulting in paralysis. Tissue death allows the venom to spread throughout the body, while the metabolic part causes a blood sugar spike, leading to significant damage to bodily functions.

Kuhn-Nentwig describes this particular spider's venom strategy as "very effective. [It] reduces the risk of the spider losing the prey, as well as the risk of potential prey developing a resistance to spider venom in the long run."

More than just a toxin

But the researchers weren't done there. To further understand the deadliness of the spider's venom, the IEE scientists studied every single RNA molecule found in the venom glands. They discovered that a protein called alpha-amylase was the main protein in the venom.

"Based on this, we were in a position to understand the existence of many other peptides and proteins contributing to the toxic effect of spider venom," Kuhn-Nentwig states.

Summing up the team's conclusions, she notes, "Spider venom is more than just a toxin — it is an entire armada of substances that attack, paralyze, and kill an organism in a maximum of many different ways."

Insight into how a nontoxic element develops into a toxic one may support the future medicinal use of spider venom. Scientists believe that the venom strategy used by the tiger wandering spider is also used by the majority of other spider species, making this discovery even more important.

2019 Healthline Media UK Ltd. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.